Guest Blog #3 Our third guest blog comes from Leigh Diprose: Fuji Employee, Fuji Ambassador and Senior Contributor to fstoplounge.com. Leigh has taken the time to consider the question: How do you take great travel photos?
Mastering Travel Photography
by Leigh Diprose
It’s a common question and one we will explore in this
article, but first let’s talk about gear.
If you’re planning a trip overseas, interstate or on your next
holiday, there are a
few things you should think about when it comes to capturing memories.
GEAR
One of the first things to think about is what type of camera
you should take. Rather than capturing photos with a smartphone, consider
capturing photographs with a Mirrorless camera that will enable you to get in
close to your subject without having to sacrifice image resolution.
With the current line up of Fujifilm X-Series cameras
available there are plenty of options for lens combinations and X-Series camera
bodies that will offer you a range of focal lengths, ensuring you get the best
travel photos at an affordable price.
Three travel lens combinations worth considering are the
versatile XF18-135mm F3.5-5.6, XF10-24mm F4 ultra wide angle and for the
professional there’s the XF16-55mm F2.8 wide lens. A mix of these lenses will
offer a great combination for capturing scenic locations, family portraits,
abstract images and the general travel photos you might want to take along the
way.
When you couple either of these lenses with a Fujifilm X-T10
or X-T1 camera, your carry on luggage will weigh a lot less than a digital SLR
equivalent thanks to the lightweight construction and small size. Additionally
these two benefits are a huge advantage to your back when you have a camera
around your neck the whole day!
Now that you have your gear all sorted how can you improve
your travel photography?
TIPS
Below you’ll find eight travel photography tips that will make
a huge difference to your photo album.
Tip 1: Get down low and
include foreground interest
Whenever you see a scene rather than taking the photo while
you’re standing up, try getting down low to change your perspective of the
scene. Think about incorporating objects in the foreground of your frame. What
this will do is create foreground interest and offer some perspective to the
viewer.
Tip 2: Use a circular
polariser
If you plan on visiting a place with harsh light during the
day (like Australia or the Pacific
Islands) then a circular polariser is a must. When using this special screw in
filter on the front of your lens, you’ll retain all the details in the
highlight areas (typically the sky).
Often, without a filter the sky will become blown out and
overexposed as there is a difference in exposure between the land and sky. By
rotating the front ring on the circular polarising filter you can adjust the
polarisation of the filter to darken the sky and even out the exposure.
Tip 3: Carry a
lightweight small tripod
The reason to include a small tripod in your travel kit (like
a 3 Legged Thing Tripod) is so you can capture the sunrise and sunset. If you
plan on holding your camera during these golden times, then you’ll most likely
end up with blurry photos. By using a tripod, combined with the camera's self
timer (or optional cable release) you’ll be able to photograph long exposures
that are blur free.
Tip 4: Change your
camera's white balance at sunset
If you want a rich warm colour at sunrise or sunset then
change your camera’s white balance from ‘Auto’ to ‘Shade’ or ‘Cloudy’. When you
do this your photos will instantly appear warmer. Just remember to change your
white balance back to ‘Auto’ once the light has disappeared.
Tip 5: Wait until you
can no longer see the sun
When you see a sunset happening wait until the sun completely
disappears if you want to get the best light. It’s during this period (that
will last around 15-20 mins) that the sun in most cases will provide warm soft
light onto the clouds and ‘light up the sky’. This is the moment where you want
to make sure your camera is on a tripod and your white balance has been
changed.
Tip 6: Carry a Instax
Share Printer
If you want to take the best portrait shots of people while
you travel try giving them an instant
print. Start up a conversation with them first and then proceed to take their
photo. In exchange for the photo you can offer them an instant print directly
from your Instax Share Printer.
The majority of Fujifilm X-Series cameras connect wirelessly
to the printer (with no internet connection needed). Simply take the photo,
preview it on the back of the camera and send it directly to the printer. Once
the photo has printed out you can leave it with the person you just
photographed. In most cases this should lead to another opportunity to take an
even better photo of them smiling.
Tip 7: Carry spare
batteries and more memory than you think you’ll need
Ensure you have enough spare batteries to last a full day and
night without having to charge them. If you’re using a Fujifilm X-T10 or X-T1
it’s recommended that you take around two extra batteries. The other essential
to take is memory cards. Think about taking multiple smaller sized cards rather
than one large one. In other words you don’t want to carry all your eggs in one
basket just in case one gets lost with all of your photos.
Tip 8: Look behind you
One of the simplest pieces of advice for travel photography is
to look behind you. Often the light may change behind you while you’re
photographing or there could be even a better scene just waiting to be
captured. Allow yourself the time to explore the scene around you, find your
composition and master it!
Hopefully with these simple tips you’ll be able to master
travel photography like a professional does! Remember, sometimes the best thing
you can do, is to put your gear down and enjoy the culture and beauty that
surrounds you without taking a photo.
Happy travelling.
